Elections in Ukraine must be nationwide and free - Russian Foreign Ministry
21 May 2014, 16:38 -- The Russian Foreign Ministry is urging the Kiev authorities to ensure fairness in the coming presidential elections to be held in Ukraine on May 25. 'Of course, the presidential elections themselves are a step in the right direction. So it is especially important to ensure they are of a truly nation-wide and free character. A path towards this is via a wide compromise within Ukrainian society regarding the constitutional grounds of the state,' the Russian Foreign Ministry Information and Press Department said in a statement.
The memorandum on mutual understanding and peace passed by Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada is understandable, though a belated step towards the implementation of the Geneva agreements, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
'Of course, this document has become public and is an understandable, although a belated step towards the implementation of the Geneva statement of April 17, 2014 and the roadmap drafted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),' the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
'The condemnation of use of arms and violence, which has already led to mass deaths of people, and the intention to ensure immediate constitutional reform foreseeing the decentralization of authorities can be assessed positively in general,' the document said.
'We think that the intention to ensure the authorities of regions with financial resources via establishing fair distribution of budget incomes, aspirations to fight corruption at all levels of the state authorities and appeals not to allow inter-confessional and inter-ethnic conflicts in the country deserve support,' the Ministry said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused Kiev of stepping up its antiterrorist operation in the eastern part of Ukraine, contrary to its obligations.
'Contrary to the obligation of refraining from any violent actions, intimidation, and provocations, not only has Kiev not canceled a punitive operation against its own people, but it is also consistently stepping it up and regularly shelling cities in the eastern part of the country at night, including with the use of heavy weaponry,' the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.
Russia has expressed its surprise about the fact that the memorandum adopted by the Ukrainian parliament on May 20 does not contain a provision on the non-bloc status of the country and its too vague on the status of the Russian language.
'We know that issues that would guarantee mutual understanding and peace in Ukraine were removed from the draft memorandum drawn up by deputies from the Party of Regions during the debate. Specifically, the text of the memorandum does not contain a provision on the non-bloc status of the country and it too vague on some guarantees given by the Ukrainian parliament to the status of the Russian language. Kiev's plans on the de-escalation of the conflict, specifically, the dates when the military operation in eastern Ukraine will end, also need clarification,' the Russian Foreign Ministry's information and press department said in its commentary, Interfax reports.
'It is regrettable that representatives of the regions of Ukraine who are trusted by their residents did not take part in the debate on the memorandum. It is also noteworthy that the memorandum did not get a consensus in the parliament either,' the commentary says.
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